Welcome to the CVI Medical and Research learning guide! These are curated resources from our larger pool of CVI content to help you understand the medical causes and implications of CVI through scientific research and other work from leading experts in the field. Scroll through our robust library of CVI research, read interviews with researchers and clinicians, and learn about current CVI research studies.
Currently, fewer than 20% of kids with CVI are diagnosed, in part due to a lack of awareness by clinicians and standard diagnostic definitions. The NIH and the CVI community are on a path to change that.
Several institutes at the National Institutes for Health (NIH) are working to address the gaps in research and care for individuals with CVI. These gaps include a lack of a standard definition of CVI evidence-based diagnostic tools and guidelines, and unclear management and rehabilitation strategies.
The goals of NIH’s CVI initiative are to foster awareness, increase the CVI research pool, establish consensus on CVI and the diagnostic process, and build a CVI registry.
The NIH published a working definition of CVI to help children with CVI get the diagnosis, understanding, and support they deserve. and guide clinicians in identifying and referring to children with CVI. The American Academy of Pediatrics also released guidance on diagnosing and supporting children with CVI.
CVI Working Definition
CVI is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits of visual function and functional vision that are caused by neurologic damage to visual pathways and processing areas in the brain.
Chang, M. & Merabet, L. (2024). “Special Commentary: Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment Working Definition.” Ophthalmology, 131, 12, 1359 – 1365.
People with CVI often display common visual behaviors and traits, but CVI manifests differently in everyone. Some people have trouble with facial recognition, hand- and foot-eye coordination, or integrating vision with other senses. These behaviors may change and improve over time, but they never disappear. As such, people with CVI often develop unique compensatory skills to manage their confusing visual world. Support for CVI needs to be sustained and lifelong.
Our eyes are important for vision, but it’s the brain that truly lets us see. Over 50% of the brain’s surface is dedicated to visual processing!
In this series, we explore the anatomy of the eyes, the eye movement system, and the brain pathways that help us process what we see. It’s a fascinating and essential step to understanding CVI.
Comb through current peer-reviewed research about CVI, the visual system, and the brain by category.
This library serves as the foundation for the Perkins CVI Protocol and will continue to evolve as new CVI research emerges.
These leaders in the field are confronting the lack of CVI awareness head-on.
Get involved in the U.S. and Canada: Join CVI research to drive progress!
CVI is often overlooked and hard to diagnose, but studying its impact on vision, behavior, and development leads to better diagnosis, interventions, and education access. Your participation fuels breakthroughs that improve lives in the CVI community.
Learn about the current CVI assessments, what accessible learning looks like, communication and CVI, helpful calendar systems, and explore our education hub.
Learn about early intervention, how to create an Individualized Education Program, get personalized parent support, read stories from individuals with CVI and their families, and discover DIY projects.
